Pillows have long been used for support of the head during sleeping. The common pillow in widespread use today for sleeping and for some time past, generally has a rectangular shape and is generally formed of upper and lower panels of flexible material such as fabric, or the like, which are attached together about their corresponding edges and which enclose a flexible resilient material, formed from natural or synthetic materials, to comfortably support the head during sleep. One example of such prior art pillow is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,555,580. Such pillows are generally provided with pillow covers which are provided with an opening for insertion and removal of the pillow. Such pillow covers provide protection against soiling as well as a decorative appearance.
Another type of pillow of the prior art is a generally smaller pillow whose principal function is to provide a decorative appearance. Such decorative pillows are generally constructed in the same manner as bed pillows and because of their smaller size are formed in various shapes.
Another type of prior art pillow is the posture pillow which is used for exercise and therapy in posture maintenance and correction and formed of a core of rigid material and having a flexible material around the core and a cylindrical cover of flexible material. Such a posture pillow is illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,842,453.
Prior art pillows are currently designed for use under the head during sleep and are generally constructed in fairly specific and standard widths, lengths, thicknesses and degrees of softness (i.e. firm, medium, and soft). While there are some small variations between manufacturers usually resulting more from the stuffing or filling material used, such pillows are for the most part quite standard and relatively interchangeable from one manufacturer to another, as exemplified by pillow covers or cases; usually made by a different group of manufacturers, fitting all of such pillow products quite adequately. The approximate dimensions of these typical prior art pillows commonly referred to as standard, queen and king sizes are illustrated in Table 1.
TABLE 1 ______________________________________ Unfilled (inches) Filled (inches) Std. Queen King Std. Queen King ______________________________________ Length 26 30 36 23 27 33 Width 20 20 20 17 17 17 Thickness -- -- -- 8 8 8 ______________________________________
While such prior art pillows are useful in providing a head rest or are of decorative or therapeutic value, none of the prior art provides a body pillow which is constructed and arranged to provide the novel features of the present invention including a cushioning support for the entire body of the user, separating and cushioning of the arms and legs of the user, all while providing an overall enfolding or embosoming effect to the user.
Accordingly it is a desirable object of the present invention to provide a pillow for the body of the user which promotes more restful and comfortable sleep.
Another desirable object of the present invention is to provide a body pillow which cushions and enfolds the entire length of the body of the user while comfortably providing a cushioned separation of the arms and legs from each other.
A still further desirable object of the present invention is to provide a body pillow having the above-described desirable objects which accomodates various sizes, is easy to manufacture and low in cost.
The above and other desired objects, apparent from the drawings and following description, may be attained by the apparatus, construction, arrangements and combinations, subcombinations and parts which comprise the present invention, preferred embodiments of which are illustrative of the mode in which applicant has contemplated applying the principal, being set forth in detail in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.